Conversation with a Sleigh
by Cecilia Green
Summary: A short story I wrote for an English assignment. Takes place the night Jonas heads to the river. That night, he has a dream were he talks to a sleigh. Story is better than summary.


Jonas lay awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. This was it. He was really going to do it. He turned his head to face the digital clock. It read 3: 17 am in glowing numbers he could now identify as blue. In only 13 minutes, he would get up, take Gabe, and get away from there. His stomach gurgled unhappily. He had refused dinner that night. He had the feeling that if he had tried to eat anything, he would puke. It was only now that he realized how hungry he'd be later on.

Jonas sighed. Everything had gone so wrong, so quickly. There were few things that brought a smile to his face now, one of them being the good memories that the Giver provided him with every day. An idea came to him. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Before him he could see a plate of warm, buttery chocolate chip cookies. The hand he had in the memory reached out and brought one of the sweet desserts to his mouth. A warm feeling settled over Jonas as he tasted the still-melting chips on his tongue.

When that memory ended, he summoned a new one. This one was of a gourmet quesadilla, with seven different cheeses mixed with spicy jalapenos oozing out of the tortilla. Next – a three-tier lemon cake. And after that was a hot, savory steak, perfectly spiced and meat juices collecting on the plate.

Just then, Jonas was enveloped by coldness. When he looked up, he saw a blanket of white covering his surroundings. He looked down. He was resting on top of a sleigh, rough, brown wood on top of gleaming silver runners. _Strange_, he thought. _I didn't think of this memory_.

Suddenly, he heard a voice. "You have no idea what you're doing, Jonas," it said. Jonas looked around, confused. He didn't recall there being another _person_ in this memory. Then, it spoke again: "I'm down here."

Jonas gave a start and peered at the sleigh suspiciously. He could've sworn that sleigh had said something. "Behold, the new Receiver. The wise, respected, _clueless_ Receiver." Jonas jerked his head back. There was no mistaking it that time. The sleigh had definitely said something.

Without any warning, the sleigh began to move. It started to go downhill. "What's going on?" he blurted out.

"What's going on is that you're about to leave the only place you've ever known. What's going on is that you will release painful, destructive memories on innocent people. That's what's going on, kiddo," said the sleigh.

"Why can you talk?" said Jonas to the sleigh. "I don't remember you ever being able to talk."

He heard the sleigh sigh. "My God, have you not heard a single thing that I've said?" it remarked snidely. "You don't have a clue what this might cause!" The sleigh continued down the slope, picking up speed along the way.

"I'm doing the right thing," Jonas said darkly. "These people deserve to know the truth. They can't be kept in the dark any longer."

"Do you seriously think this will change anything? Do you think you're little disappearing act will turn an entire way of life, a way of life that has worked for over 500 years, on its head?" The sleigh was going very fast now. The snow-covered trees and bushes zoom past them in a blur. Jonas wondered how big the hill was. "So you'll kidnap _one_ baby! So you'll cross a river! So you'll give the people your memories! How do you think this won't be another Rosemary? Sure, the people will be confused about it for a while. But when all the memories have been spent, then what? Things will go right back to the way they were."

"You're wrong! It will make a difference! It will make things better!" yelled Jonas.

"Better? It will cause these people harm! Confusion! Panic! It will make them suffer." They were sledding faster than Jonas had thought possible. The wind roared in his ears, and he realized he was screaming. But still, above all that noise, he could still hear the sleigh ridiculing him.

"You know what I think? I think you just want to get rid of your burden. You're not strong enough for the things you've seen, so you're just going to give it to the people you've known and loved all your life. Just to make yourself feel a little better. You are a coward, Jonas."

Ahead of them, Jonas could see an enormous brick wall. If they didn't stop now, he would die, crushed by the sheer momentum of his speed. He dug his heels into the snow, trying desperately to slow their descent. "What is this?" he cried. "Stop! No! I don't want this! Let me out!"

But the sled didn't stop. It just went faster and faster. "Jonas, you are _doomed_," said the sleigh. They rammed into the wall.

Jonas's eyes snapped open. His breath came out in short gasps, and he was soaked in sweat. He turned his head to the side. The clock read 3:30 am.

It was time.


End file.
